Since the COVID-19 outbreak, people have been spending more time in the online world because of restrictions on face-to-face communication due to epidemic prevention controls. This has also brought the issue of Internet addiction, including the overuse and negative effects of short videos, to the forefront of attention. Past research has found that Internet addiction has a negative impact on well-being. However, there is a special concept of positive emotion called “serendipity” (小确幸). Serendipity provides a small, fleeting but positive experience, yet it is often associated with negative perceptions from an outside perspective. However, the relationship between short video addiction and serendipity is not yet known. Based on this, a theoretical model was developed in the context of the I-PACE model. To understand the relationship between short video addiction and serendipity among college students, in this study, we conducted snowball sampling and distributed online questionnaires using the Wenjuanxing platform. The target population of the questionnaire distribution was vocational college students in China, of whom 985 valid study participants responded, yielding a valid return rate of 82.1%. Of the respondents, 410 (41.6%) were male and 575 (58.4%) were female. The results were as follows: a. short video flow had a positive relationship with serendipity, a negative relationship with achievement motivation, and a positive effect on short video addiction; b. short video addiction had a positive effect on serendipity and a negative effect on achievement motivation; and c. serendipity had a negative impact on achievement motivation. This shows that short video addiction, like other Internet addictions, can have a negative impact on students’ learning.

Short videos are very popular among students, but the immersive nature of the software makes them prone to problematic use and even addiction. Internet addiction, including short-video problematic use, has been a hot topic in recent years due to the COVID-19 epidemic. However, there are few empirical studies that have explored the effects of short-video problematic use on students. Thus, vocational colleges in China were recruited to participate in this study. There were 1089 effective participants, with a valid recall rate of 90.8%. This included 466 male students (42.8%) and 623 female students (57.2%), with a mean age of 19.19 years (standard deviation of 1.07 years). Five hypotheses were proposed and validated by structural equation modeling within the framework of ecological systems theory and engagement theory to explore the association of short-video problematic use, three types of learning engagement, and perceived learning ineffectiveness. Research findings showed that: (1) short-video problematic use has a negative effect on behavioral engagement; (2) behavioral engagement has a positive effect on both emotional and cognitive engagement; and (3) emotional and cognitive engagement have a negative effect on perceived learning ineffectiveness. According to the results, it can be seen that short-video problematic use has a detrimental effect on students’ learning experiences, so teachers and parents need to pay attention to the negative effects of excessive use among students.

As the global sustainable development agenda advances, having a healthy lifestyle has become an important part of the common pursuit. Physical activity needs and experiences are becoming increasingly diverse, yet there is a paucity of research on issues associated with university students’ physical activity needs, and their perceptions of their physical activity needs and sustainable well-being are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study combines Self-Determination Theory with the existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) Theory of Needs to explore the mediating effects of different variables on the relationship between university students’ physical activity needs and sustainable well-being. A total of 900 Chinese university students were invited through an online survey to participate in this study, and the collected data were validated with a structural equation model. According to the results of the study, it was found that the level of involvement and flow experience in university students’ sports activities have a mediating effect on the relationship between needs and sustainable well-being. Therefore, educators can enhance the level of sustainable well-being by stimulating university students’ physical activity needs and improving their level of involvement and participation experience.